Buckaroo, the British-bred four-time stakes winner, has had a methodical preparation for Monday’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Australia since he resumed racing after a four-month break in August. After an eighth-place finish in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at seven furlongs on Aug. 24, a distance shorter than his best trip, Buckaroo has started in increasingly longer races leading to the $5.61 million Melbourne Cup at two miles. Trained by Chris Waller, Buckaroo won the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes at a mile at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Sept. 7 and two weeks later won the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Caulfield Racecourse. More recently, Buckaroo was second by a neck to reigning Australian Horse of the Year Via Sistina in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington on Oct. 5. Two weeks later, he was second by 1 1/4 lengths in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup at 1 1/2 miles. The progression has made Buckaroo a co-favorite at 5-1 with the Irish import Vauban in the 20-horse field. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing Buckaroo, a 6-year-old gelding, is one of five runners in the field trained by Waller, who also starts Land Legend, a 16-1 chance in early betting who was a well-beaten third in the Caulfield Cup. Vauban won the Group 3 Lonsdale Cup at 2 1/16 miles at York Racecourse in Britain in August and was second to Kyprios in the Group 1 Irish St. Leger Stakes at 1 3/4 miles at the Curragh in Ireland on Sept. 15. Vauban, who was 14th in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, is one of two runners trained by Willie Mullins, who also starts Absurde, a 7-1 chance. Absurde was seventh in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, and has had a fascinating season this year. In March, Absurde won the Grade 3 County Handicap Hurdle at 2 1/16 miles at Cheltenham Racecourse in Britain. Switched to flat racing in the summer, Absurde won the Chester Stakes at 1 13/16 miles at Chester Racecourse in Britain on Aug. 31. The race has a minor American influence. The Indiana-bred Onesmoothoperator began his career in Britain and won his Australian debut in the Group 3 Geelong Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Geelong Racecourse on Oct. 23. Onesmoothoperator is 7-1 in early betting for the Melbourne Cup. The Melbourne Cup is a handicap. Vauban is the topweight at 122.3 pounds, with Buckaroo at 120, Absurde at 114.6 and Onesmoothoperator at 112.2. No clear favorite in the Dance The leading race at Randwick on Monday evening is the $1.96 million Big Dance Stakes at a mile, also a 20-runner field and also a race without a clear favorite. As of Sunday, Gringotts (3-1), Here to Shock (9-2), and Tavi Time (9-2) were all well-supported. A handicap, the weights for the Big Dance have a much greater range than the Melbourne Cup. Here to Shock will carry topweight of 137.7 pounds, a considerably higher assignment than Gringotts at 129 or Tavi Time at 116.8 pounds. The field for the Big Dance was determined by official ratings for horses who finished first or second in qualifying races held over the last year. Here to Shock qualified by winning the Group 3 Cameron Handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Newcastle on Sept. 20. A 7-year-old gelding, Here to Shock won the Alan Brown Stakes at seven furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Oct. 12, finishing slightly more than a head in front of Gringotts. Gringotts earned a berth to the Big Dance by winning the Tamworth Cup at seven furlongs at Tamworth Racecourse in April. Tavi Time qualified for the Big Dance by winning the Mudgee Cup at seven furlongs at Mudgee Racecourse last December. Tavi Time has since won 2 of 5 starts, including a one-mile handicap at Warwick Farm on Oct. 16. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.